By FilmInk Staff
“There are always good films,” David Stratton told FilmInk upon the publication of his memoir, I Peed On Fellini. “But there are so many awful films too. You sit there thinking, ‘I know what the next line of dialogue is going to be’. It’s woeful.”
The longtime film critic has certainly sat through his fair share of films – both good and bad – as the movie scribe for The Australian, the one-time director of The Sydney Film Festival, a member of the jury at The Cannes Film Festival, and, most famously, as co-host (with the wonderful Margaret Pomeranz) of SBS’ The Movie Show and then ABC’s At The Movies.
And while Stratton and Pomeranz ended their on-screen partnership after nearly three decades in 2014 (wholly amicably, it must be said), both have still been active in the world of film, with Pomeranz sliding comfortably into a high profile hosting gig with Foxtel, and Stratton continuing to file for The Australian. This titan of Australian film criticism is also the subject and driving force behind the new documentary, David Stratton’s Stories Of Australian Cinema, directed by Sally Aitken (Getting Frank Gehry) and produced by Jen Peedom (Sherpa). Featuring copious clips and big name interviews (Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill, Gillian Armstrong and many more are featured), the doco looks at the history of Australian film through Stratton’s eyes, with the critic talking about how film changed him, and Australia’s major cinematic players talking about how he changed Australian film.
Film criticism is under-valued and under-celebrated in Australia, and David Stratton is unquestionably the closest thing that we have in this country to American figureheads like Roger Ebert or Pauline Kael. He’s a literate, passionate, and highly informed movie buff, and David Stratton’s Stories Of Australian Cinema looks set to be a great celebration of both David Stratton and the incredible movies that have been produced in this country. “I like Australian films for the very fact that they provide a freshness when compared to the run-of-the-mill Hollywood films that you see most of the time,” Stratton told FilmInk. “That’s not to say that many Australian films, especially recently, have been quite disappointing, and I’ve said so.” Don’t expect to see any of those in the doco…
David Stratton’s Stories Of Australian Cinema will premiere on Australia Day at The St. George Open Air Cinema in Sydney. For all ticketing and venue information, head to the official site.
Surely “the one-time director of The Sydney Film Festival” ought to read “longtime director of The Sydney Film Festival” given he oversaw it for 17 years…